"Avaliação da qualidade de vida de pacientes pós-irradiados com diagnóstico de carcinoma espinocelular de cavidade oral"

Abstract

Radiotherapy is an effective therapeutic modality employed in the management of malignant tumors in the oral cavity. Its use in head and neck results in adverse effects. The measurement of quality of life allows to gather the most common problems in oral cancer patients in a structured way, ranking its intensity and enabling a more accurate clinical control. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of post- irradiated diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Eleven patients over six months of completion of therapy treated at the Hospital Haroldo Juaçaba – Instituto do Câncer do Ceará were included in the study. University of Washington quality of life questionnaire, specific to head and neck cancer, was applied. Data related to socio-demographic, clinical, pathological and therapeutic profile were collected. Unstimulated salivary flow was measured by spitting method. Categorical data were exposed in the form of absolute and percentage frequency, and quantitative data as mean ± standard deviation, followed by their minimum and maximum. Statistical analysis of quantitative data was performed by nonlinear Spearman correlation, considering a 95% confidence. Most patients were elderly (72.72%), male (81.81%), with lower education (90.9%), away from their work activities since the completion of cancer treatment (90.9%), with a history of smoking (90.9%), alcohol abuse (90.9%) and exposure to sunlight before the onset of the disease (90.9%), with lesions in the mouth floor (45.45%) moderately differentiated type (100%), stage IV (54,54%), subjected to other treatment modalities in addition to radiation therapy (100%). Among the domains assessed, chewing, saliva and speech presented the lowest mean scores (31.8, 42.3 and 60.6, respectively). All participants presented moderate to severe hyposalivation. Statistically significant correlation was found between age and speech (p = 0.043); time of completion of radiation therapy and recreation (p = 0.027); swallowing and pain (p = 0.039); activity and recreation (p = 0.030); swallowing and chewing (p = 0.007); chewing and speaking (p = 0.048); and shoulder and mood (p = 0.004). We conclude that the post- irradiated patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity tend to consider their quality of life ranging from fair to outstanding and that chewing, saliva and speech domains are those with greater commitment.